The National Professional Qualification for Headship (NPQH) was established in 1999 and, in the Isle of Man, the first two graduates were Adrienne Burnett, now the Headteacher at Ballakermeen High School, and Paul Craine, now the Department’s Co-ordinating Adviser for 11-19 Education.

The NPQH has been redesigned and was relaunched in the spring of 2012. The DEC remains committed to supporting suitable applicants for the NPQH. Forty-six local candidates have been supported to achieve this qualification to date.

NPQH applications and funding are managed by Paul Craine, who explained: 'Although the NPQH is no longer mandatory in England (it has never been mandatory here) it remains the first choice qualification for headship, ranked alongside the best leadership development in the world. It will still be a mark of quality that will be relied on when appointing headteachers, as only the most talented leaders will get through.'

The redesigned NPQH is intended for experienced teachers who are highly motivated to be a headteacher, are no more than 12 to 18 months from applying for headship posts and will be ready to take up a headship as soon as they graduate.

Trainee headteachers will take between six and 18 months to complete the NPQH programme. They will undertake induction, spend a minimum of nine days in a selected school, during which they will lead on a strategic project, engage in day to day leadership development in their own school and study three essential modules developed using masters-level criteria, plus two elective modules drawn from a range designed to suit their development needs and career aspirations. This will prepare candidates for the final assessment.

For more information please contact Paul Craine by email or by telephoning 01624 685353.